Portishead Town 2 Bashley 1
Match Report by Matt Gillett / 3rd January
It ain’t over ‘til it’s over! Just when it seemed Portishead Town would have to settle for a point, they pulled an 89th minute rabbit out of the hat as super sub Jack Thorne’s second goal clinched a 2-1 win over battling Bashley.
Beautiful sunshine, biting cold and a crowd of 344, as Portishead kicked off 2026 with skipper Kyle Egan still injured but welcoming back Jay Murray. A slow opening, with plenty of the referee’s whistle, before Ethan Feltham’s angled shot tested Bashley keeper Oscar Glover. On 15 minutes, Lucas Vowles linked with Murray who crossed but Feltham was denied by Glover’s amazing point blank range save.
Posset asserted themselves as Bashley, on a run of seven straight defeats, defended in numbers. Tom Llewellyn featured heavily with Jamie Adams and Mitch Osmond also frequently on the ball with Portishead passing rapidly. After 24 minutes Vowles outfought his defender and fed Murray. His splendid curling effort struck the post; Glover smothered the ball as Vowles tried to get on the rebound.
The agile Glover bravely won a 39th minute aerial challenge on the edge of his box with the dangerous Feltham as Bashley kept it goalless at half-time.
Portishead continued to dominate after the turnaround with Callum Eastwood having a shot from distance. Ollie Woodhouse and Hamish Hurst, both of whom saw headers gathered by Glover, were bringing the ball out from the back as Bashley sat deep and determined.
In the 61st minute manager Kye Mountford introduced Thorne for Vowles. Talk about immediate impact: within sixty seconds from Hurst’s long throw the substitute made it 1-0 with his first touch.
Credit to Bashley, they pushed forward and, with their first shot on target, Harvey Bertrand equalised at the back post after 64 minutes. Livewire Thorne sent in a testing 67th minute cross with Glover needed again to prevent Feltham scoring. The same trio were involved in the 71st minute. Thorne’s left side cross ball was clawed out by Glover from under his bar before Feltham’s follow-up was blocked.
A ferocious 78th minute Adams shot from the edge of the box briefly poleaxed a Bashley defender. Eastwood hit a number of long balls to stretch the visitors as Portishead forced Bashley to valiantly clear their box. Feltham shot narrowly wide from another Hurst long throw. On 89 minutes the pressure paid off. Eastwood kept the ball alive and crossed from the left. Feltham headed back across goal for Thorne to nod in the winner.
Bashley threw keeper and all up for an injury time corner but to no avail. Portishead’s deserved victory takes them back to the top of the table. A Happy New Year for the Posset Army!
